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Whole genome sequencing
and the future of medicine: A discussion of policy implications ranging from
genome privacy to designer babies.Michael Allegrezza
The presidential race of 2016 was tight. That is, until
information was leaked that Hillary Clinton has a genetic predisposition to early
onset Alzheimer’s disease. How her genetic info was obtained is unknown; her
campaign staff followed strict protocols to collect and destroy everything she
touched – toothbrushes, bed sheets, cups. It may be that years before she was a
candidate, a cunning opponent attended her book signings and patiently
preserved the pages she penned until the moment was ripe. But the method and
legality of the leak is irrelevant. Unlike in a jury case, one can’t instruct an
entire electorate to ignore information that may have been illegally obtained.
Thus began a new era of American politics: no longer was it simply video or
written evidence of your past that was under scrutiny. Now, the DNA code
prophesizing y…